


Inked

by haku23



Series: Advances in Modern Technology [2]
Category: Marvel Ultimates
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-11-20
Packaged: 2017-11-16 22:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haku23/pseuds/haku23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony gets a tattoo of Cap's shield as proof of his commitment to their relationship...thing. Steve hates tattoos and Tony knows it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A sequel to Technological Advances in that it takes place pretty soon after the end of it but you don't have to read it to really understand what's going on. As with the other one this is set after Ultimates 2 and is AU after that. 
> 
> Again, mentions of alcoholism because that's Ultimate Tony's coping mechanism of choice.

It was inevitable really. It had been, anyway, and of course Tony hadn't wanted to admit it but it had been. Steve wasn't the most romantic of partners he'd ever had claiming 'you're not a dame, Tony' every time he so much as brought up anything of the sort as if he wouldn't have enjoyed being told he looked nice every so often however he made up for it in his own way. It didn't much matter about the romance really. They were busy, didn't always have time to be together and when they were he would rather spend it doing something in bed or wherever everyone else wasn't than getting bouquets of roses or something silly like that. Steve would burrow his head into Tony's neck afterwards, pull him close and then it wasn't a big deal that they still fought every day.

 

Regardless, none of that was remotely connected to how he was sitting in the bathroom on the edge of the jacuzzi bathtub with his pants pulled down to his knees and his hand firmly pressed to his hip. He rubbed at the square of paper once more with the damp washcloth in his hand then delicately pulled the edge away until he was left with a perfect image of Steve's shield on his hipbone. Tony had heard him going off on tangents about tattoos and body piercings more than once-it would be interesting to see how he reacted now. Of course Tony didn't want to have that disapproving look levelled on him however for the sake of a joke-a stupid one but he had to get his kicks somehow now that he wasn't allowed to look at women. The Ultimates hadn't been sent out in weeks and Pepper hadn't given him any tickets to PR events. He had things he could work on but none of them held any appeal at the moment. He wasn't up to doing anything except for making Steve have a conniption apparently. And he would.

 

Said super soldier was currently venting his frustrations to a punching bag in the gym and after that he would be heading to Bucky and Gail's for lunch. He was delightfully predictable but that just made Tony's job easier-on the off chance that Steve broke routine he still carried his tablet on him. It was simple enough to trace and not because Steve didn't know how to lock him out, either.

 

But for right now Tony had things to work on in the lab with Happy. With all the extra time he'd had ample opportunity to make improvements to the suit. If only he could find a way to have it so he didn't have to be coated in slime every time he used it. Maybe he could if business was going the way it was lately. Stocks chugging along at a sluggish pace out of the red, no need to go into the office because Pepper was 'taking care of it'. He should have protested more but he couldn't be bothered; she'd stepped up in the last few months. Maybe he could leave the company to her if he did end up dying before he ran it into the ground. It was either her or Happy though Happy had never been much of a businessman.

 

Dying. He hadn't been drunk enough to forget about that in a long time-he padded to the liquor cabinet in the workshop without a word. Happy waved off his offer of a drink then settled back in his chair.

 

“So, you and Cap.”

 

He rolled his eyes, leaning his hip against the table holding all of bits and pieces of the suit's boots, “and where did you hear that?”

 

“Around. Not as good at keeping secrets as you think, boss.”

 

“Pepper, then. The girl is more of a gossip than Jan,” Tony took another swallow of his scotch, smiling around the cup until Happy shook his head.

 

“I heard it from Cap.”

 

If he were less used to getting unexpected news while in the middle of drinking-he had it on good authority that that was the only time a person could get a word in edgewise and Tony had to wonder if they'd ever talked to Steve while he was off on a tangent-he would have choked. As it was he calmly drained the rest of his drink before responding.

 

“And what did you hear from him exactly?”

 

“That you two were uh...”

 

“Fucking?”

 

“Dating.”

 

“Dating.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

He was going to need another drink. Several more.

 

~~**~~

 

It was late when Steve returned to the mansion, home he guessed he could call it because he mostly lived here except for the odd time that he and Tony annoyed each other so thoroughly that he had to step away. The mansion had better amenities than his apartment too-a gym, people to train with, no punk kids that would steal his things although he had made a note to not let Wanda(or maybe Pietro for Wanda was more accurate) anywhere near his room. The dame had an odd fascination with “human” things for all that she and Pietro considered themselves superior to everyone else.

 

He wasn't overly surprised to find Tony passed out on the couch with a title screen from some movie Steve didn't know playing over for what was probably the 20th time. He'd said he had work. Didn't matter much what he did though Steve would've preferred it didn't involve getting pass out drunk. There'd been enough of dragging drunks out of gutters over in France close to two years ago. No, longer. But two for him. If he'd been able to get drunk, his father less of fond of the bottle maybe he'd have turned to it too. Didn't mean he liked it any when Tony got this bad. He leaned over the back of the couch and shook him awake.

 

“What?” he slurred, blinked blearily up at him, “Oh.”

 

“Left the television on.”

 

“Oh for God sakes,” Tony writhed on the sofa for a moment before producing the remote, a huge thing with too many buttons, and turned the screen black. “Enjoy yourself?”

 

“Did you?”

 

The look levelled at him would have been just on the right side of scary were it not for how Tony groaned afterwards, his hand pressing to his forehead. His lips that Steve knew the feel of, the taste of parted as Tony sighed out a breath, “for a moment, yes. And then I was woken up.”

 

“You drink too much.”

 

“So you've said.”

 

“You said you would think about slowing down, Tony,” he said as he circled around to the front and perched on one of the arms of the couch. It was quiet, the lights dimmed though he could only really tell because that was a habit of Tony's, he grabbed Tony's ankle.

 

“Oh don't make that face, darling, I said I would think about it, that hardly constitutes an agreement,” he rolled his eyes dramatically like an actress from the movies he remembered. All heavy lashes and emotional outbursts that Gail had always said was nothing like _real_ women. He ought to introduce her to Tony.

 

A few months ago he would have hated the rush of emotion he felt when Tony said something like that. Hadn't wanted it to be real because he wasn't a queer-a homosexual-but he knew affection when he felt it. The same as with Gail, with Jan. He didn't like talking about it really. Tony made him have to. He slid down to the cushions of the couch and Tony opened his legs to make room for him between them.

 

“Bucky and Gail are old, Stark,” it came out quickly against Tony's collarbone like a sudden epiphany though he knew, he could see it with his own two eyes that they wouldn't be around forever. Jan had told him he needed other friends and he hadn't seen the point. He'd thought that maybe, somehow, he could go back someday and he could forget that any of this had happened. Those thoughts were gone now and in its place a genius, billionare who never knew when to shut up. Steve didn't know if there would be anyone able to fill those shoes.

 

“Glad you finally realized, perhaps Jan will take you back if you tell her that,” Tony's hands slid up his back then down again, yanked his shirt from where it was tucked in his pants. Distracting him. He always tried to distract him when he didn't want to have a conversation. By now he should have learned that it didn't work.

 

“No.”

 

He didn't want Jan back. Not anymore. Steve had a feeling that it was mutual.

 

Tony bucked his hips, rubbing himself against Steve as he raised his mouth to his ear,“Why did you tell Happy we were dating?”

 

“He asked. I told him the truth,” just being on top of him was enough to keep Tony in place and he shoved his hand between them.

 

“Fuck,” came the breathy reply, “not fair.”

 

“You're talking to me about fair?”

 

“Oh it was once, Steve, get over it,” Tony crushed their mouths together hard enough to bruise. Diversion attempt B.

 

“You _cheated_.”

 

“It's only a game.”

 

“You cheated.”

 

They went silent after that other than their breathing because it was a debate they'd had countless times since Tony had installed the emulator on his tablet. Steve didn't like to lose in Mario Kart. Especially not to cheaters.  


	2. Chapter 2

His plan had been ruined. Well, in so far that after rubbing off on each other like horny teenagers-Steve had nearly crushed him, it had been terrible-something else had disappeared other than his erection. The(temporary) tattoo had ended up a clump of disgusting glue-like substance on his hip and well, it had become utterly unremarkable next to...other things. Steve hadn't even noticed. Of course after the entire Happy fiasco he wanted revenge more than ever. Not badly enough to tell Bucky or Gail about them because Steve wouldn't hesitate to kill him in cold blood but there was something satisfying about making Steve angry. It went against the wholesome schoolboy act he put on for the press. The one Tony abhorred because God forbid Steve be as gentle with him as he was with those babies he kissed.

 

Tony trailed a finger down the muscled chest beside him, idly tracing numbers or letters(or lewd drawings) into Steve's skin. He wasn't really asleep, he knew, but he was a gifted faker. With all the serum nonsense he only had to sleep about three hours a week. Tony had suddenly understood why so many people had been itching to shoot themselves up with it. He didn't think that Steve would be very willing to share, though. Selfish bastard.

 

“Go to sleep.”

 

“I already did.”

 

Steve didn't open his eyes, rolled away from Tony's fingertips, “sleep more.”

 

“I only need a few hours a week,” he smirked and sat up fully. The room was dark though that didn't say much considering how he had black out curtains on most of the windows like he was those creepy children in The Others. If only Steve were an Australian blonde woman. Things would be much easier. They wouldn't have to sneak around like common criminals when they so happened to be out on the town together. Really, he'd have to look into some sort of...magic or something.

 

“If you have time to fool around then we'll practice your sparring.”

 

“Sex is great exercise, why don't we do that again instead?”

 

“Because it won't teach you how to fight properly,” the bed shifted as Steve moved and Tony followed the dip in the mattress, ran his hands down the muscled back now in front of him. He'd showered at some point while Tony had slept because he smelled like that God awful soap he liked which meant he probably wouldn't join in on a shower. A pity, really.

 

He let out an indignant huff, “the armour isn't exactly made from recycled tin cans, you know.”

 

“What if you're out of the armour?” one of his large hands caught Tony's before they could make it to his front and slide into his boxers.

 

“I have you, don't I?” Tony pressed his lips to Steve's shoulder, smirking into his skin, “ _my hero_.”

 

“Knock it off.”

 

Oh of course, the token protest because Steve could never just give in. But he wasn't moving away either.

 

“If I'm out of the suit I have other ways of not getting killed,” he said against his nape getting a poorly suppressed shiver in return. His hair smelled of Tony's shampoo-the expensive kind which meant that he'd grabbed it by accident-and Tony felt a tinge of possessiveness. No one would be sniffing Steve's hair but if they _did_...Well, it didn't matter. Nobody got close enough to smell Steve's hair anyway except for maybe Jan and he highly doubted she kept a catalogue on everyone's choices in hair care products.

 

Steve clenched his jaw and Tony swore he could hear his teeth grinding together. The desired effect then. He was flat on his back the next moment, Steve pinning him to the mattress and if he were so inclined he'd have to find a way to get Steve to try something different. The being crushed under 200 pounds of muscle thing was starting to lose its charm.

 

~~**~~

 

It took another week for him to finally get time to re-apply the stupid tattoo and a couple of days after that to actually catch Steve when he wasn't heading off somewhere to talk to dying orphans or war veterans. As it was they met in the kitchen while Tony was trying to get some sort of caffeine into his body and Steve was eating his customary breakfast of six eggs, an entire package of bacon, and close to an entire loaf of bread.

 

“I don't know how you can eat all of that in the morning.”

 

Steve grunted, pushed one of his two plates over to the other side of the table. For all that he didn't need much sleep he certainly got grumpy enough by the time that he did. Of course as long as the giant baby had his nap-amateur- he would be fine in a few hours.

 

“Oh no, I'm not eating any of that. You couldn't pay me enough to.”

 

“Eat.”

 

“No thank you, mother.”

 

“Tony...”

 

He rolled his eyes and fought off a yawn until after he took a sip of his coffee. Terrible. It had to be Steve's instant crap but Tony would remedy the situation in a few moments when his brain allowed him to come up with the proper way to use the coffee maker. Another yawn escaped his mouth and he stretched his arms over his head, feeling his pants slip lowered on his hips. He'd barely lowered his arms when Steve was in front of him.

 

“What was that?”

 

“See something you like?” he lowered his lids along with his coffee mug until Steve's hand grabbed his hip a bit too tightly, “try not to treat me like you treat those punching bags of yours, darling, all I need is a broken hip though then I might fit in with your age group.”

 

That got him a glare but Steve was far too preoccupied with inspecting Tony's hip to hold it for long. His grip relaxed slightly though he would have received the implied 'stay put' without Steve manhandling him like a side of beef. Steve's hands were rough, although not as much as Tony had assumed by looking at them, and sent a shiver down his spine with each swipe of Steve's thumb over the tattooed area.

 

“Is this why you've been avoiding sleeping with me?” his voice was even but Tony could see his jaw tighten. It was probably fucked up that he actually wanted a lecture and he was certain that his therapist could tell him all about what that meant about his mental state. Of course Steve had given him a look when he'd suggested telling her about them. Steve didn't believe in shrinks, naturally, and had blown off any attempt by SHIELD medical to hook him up with one.

 

“I haven't been avoiding you, I've been working. I know you get jealous of the suit but it has to be upgraded.”

 

Steve blew out a breath that had a distinct air of “shut up, Stark”.It probably said a lot about his mental state again that he could decipher particular ways that Steve non-verbally communicated though assuming that three quarters of his reactions were disapproving wasn't very far off. “Why?”

 

“I thought you would like it, you hate when I talk to women, for example. It's like you're leaving your mark.”

 

“It's...”

 

He pushed his hair through Steve's hair though there wasn't much to it anymore. He'd almost preferred the long style he'd had it in when he'd woken up but any suggestion to do _that_ got him a “I'm not going out there looking like a fairy”. It'd struck Tony as funny the first time he'd said it and it'd been funnier when Tony had replied it would suit him when they fought over something he couldn't remember. Probably wasting money. He met Steve's eye,“It's what?”

 

“I hope you're happy with your permanent scar, Stark.”

 

“A you shaped scar, what's wrong with that? Maybe now you can stop leaving hickeys on me,” he smirked and Steve had the gall to blush as though he wasn't on his knees in front of Tony in the communal kitchen.

 

“If God wanted you to have a scar in the shape of my shield you would have been born with it,” and there was the righteous anger he'd been looking for. Blue eyes sharp and brow furrowed in a way that would give a normal man the unholiest of wrinkles if he frowned as often as Steve did, "it's a scar on your body. It's doesn't go away like a love bite does, and you know it."

 

“It's cute that you still call them love bites," he said and Steve's scowl deepened even further than Tony had previously thought possible, "People have tried tattooing their babies so maybe I should have convinced mom while I was in the womb-”

 

“WHAT?!”

 

The resulting rant was almost better than the blowjob that came after. Steve was beautiful-if he wanted to get all poetic about it-when he was caught up in something. Ranting, fucking, playing Mario Kart like a particularly vicious ten year old, it didn't matter. It had taken surprisingly little effort to get him to go from focusing his energy on yelling about the idiocy of people these days to grabbing onto Tony's hips too tightly again and sucking his brain out through his dick. Tony wasn't keeping count but if he were he'd have to give himself a solid 10 points out of 10 for that feat.

 

He leaned against the counter afterwards, his body satiated for the moment, while tracking Steve around the room as he picked up the shards of the cup he'd squeezed too tightly when he'd tried to get a drink to calm down. Tony would have offered to help except that he would have gotten ignored.

 

“It's fake, you know,” Tony said once Steve dumped the remains of the mug into the garbage and expecting reprisal because Steve was Steve.

 

Steve shoved their lips together and muttered, “I know” in between kisses.

 

“Wait-”

 

“Wanted to keep people out,” his tongue was in Tony's mouth the next second and he shoved Tony's hand down to the front of his jeans, “don't come in when they think we're fighting.”

 

“You liked it,” he murmured in Steve's ear as he squeezed the length of flesh confined within the thin material, "leaving your mark."

 

“Fuck, Tony,” his voice rumbled against Tony's neck like a cat purring and his hands went to Tony's hips again, gripping too tight with one hand and running his thumb over the image of his shield with the other. 

 

“Maybe I should do it for real, then.”

 

Even with Tony's hand down his pants Steve managed a very forceful “don't even think about it”.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ._. It took me forever to finish this and I don't know why but yeah. I love writing tactics!Steve to be honest which is why he's constantly scheming in everything I write. Strangely?? enough something my mom said inspired this entire fic. My brother wanted to get a tattoo and she proclaimed it to be a SCAR ON HIS BODY which reminded me of Ultimates Steve more than is probably ...normal. :'D
> 
> Thanks for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I got the idea from I think it was a TFLN that someone had written over MCU Steve saying "I can't let you win at Mario Kart, I'm sorry but I just can't" or something to that effect. I was going to write that as a story but...Ultimates.


End file.
